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ALDERMEN ON RECORD TONIGHT WHETHER
MANDEL STORE CAN RUN SUB-BASEMENT
City council gas-oil committee to
day voted 10 to 6 in favor of the Man
del department store sub-basement
It goes to council tonight
Main argument in committee was
on whether it's a good thing for men
and women, boys and girls to work
underground, breathing air depend
ent on ventilation machinery. The
point was Iso raised whether it's
good for store clerks and shoppers
to do business in a cellar never
touched by sunlight The vote:
Yeas Martin, McCormick, Demp
sey, Powers, Lynch, Pretzel, Link,
Pettkoske, Klaus, Smith. Nays
Kimball, Kennedy, Kay, Vanderbilt,
Miller.
"Pass this and it's only a starter,"
said Aid. Kennedy. "It estaohshes a
precedent so that every store along
State street will say 'me, too,' and be
gin digging basements under base
ments. It is supposed to be the
policy of the city not to let buildings
in the loop go down deeper or go up
higher.
"You are acting too fast in this
matter. Only one side, that of Man
del Brothers' jitore, has been heard.
There has not been a witness before
the committee to discuss frankly
from the public viewpoint the tuber
culosis dangers and the fire hazards
of placing people at work and per
mitting crowds of shoppers in a cel
lar 32 feet under street surface."
"I talked with Dr. Evans, former
health commissioner, about this or
dinance," said Aid. Dempsey, "and he
told me he would recommend I vote
for it He said personal investigation
convinced him the ventilation system
is perfect"
"But suppose the perfect ventila
tion system gets out of order like the
perfect ventilation system we've got
in the city hall here?" asked Aid.
Ray.
"I'm not afraid on that point," said
Pempsey. "And in case of a fire
panic I say frankly I would rather
have my wife and children in Man
del's sub-basement than in any of
the floors above. My wife bought a
skirt there lately in this very sub
basement we're discussing and she
didn't see anything out of 'the way."
"A woman's club official, Mrs. Wil
kinson, tells me she was in there the
other day and the ventilation system
was out of order and not working on
that day," rejoined Kennedy. "Wash
ed air run through machinery may
be all right, but I wouldn't want it
for myself nor any one whose life I
cared for. Then, too, it looks absurd
to say that people caught in a base
ment filled with heavy clouds of
smoke would have a better chance of
getting out than people above.
"Let Mandel's have a tuberculous
firetrap and Marshall Field & Co. will
be in next asking city council for
one."
Aid. Link. Pnwers and Lvnoh were
"subcommittee reporting favorably on
ordinance. Health Com. Robertson
wrote a letter in favor of it as "log
ical and reasonable."
In 1910 city council passed ordi
nance specifying absolutely no sec
ond basement salesrooms allowed in
Chicago. Judge Caverly in municipal
court, said ordinance was unconstitu
tional. Supreme court overruled
Caverly. Corp. Counsel Hornstein
in prosecution of Mandel Bros, last
February cited stand of Former Fire
Chief Horan before council commit
tee when ordinance proposed to le
galize sub-basements.
"For God's sake," was Hoian's ex
clamation, "don't permit second
basement salesrooms. I have a
chance to get people out w,hen they
are above ground. But it's a hard
fighting chance when they're in a
second basement"
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